Turning left for less Turning left for less
  • Home
  • Beginners guide
  • Reviews
    • Hotel reviews
    • Flight reviews
    • Airline Lounge Reviews
    • Travel companies, luggage, travel tech & apps
    • Destination Dining
  • Destinations
    • Barbados
    • Las Vegas
    • Alicante
    • Marbella
    • All other destinations
  • About us
    • Meet the Team
    • Contact us
    • Privacy & Disclosure
      • Join our email list & data protection
    • Youtube and Podcast
  • BOOKING ENQUIRY
Categories
  • Air France
  • Airlines
  • Airport hotels
  • American Airlines
  • Avios
  • Black Friday 23
  • Black Friday 24
  • British Airways
  • British Airways Executive Club
  • Business class
  • Cashback
  • competition
  • Credit cards
  • cruises
  • Destinations
  • Emirates
  • Etihad
  • Finnair
  • First class
  • General
  • Guide
  • Heathrow and Gatwick
  • Hilton
  • hotels
  • IHG
  • London hotels
  • Lounges
  • Marriott
  • Michelin star dining
  • News
  • Offers
  • Oneworld
  • parking
  • Qatar
  • reader questions
  • Reader review
  • Reviews
  • Skyteam
  • Star Alliance
  • Starwood
  • This Week in Travel
  • Trains
  • UK country hotels
  • UK hotels
  • USA
  • Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Turning left for less Turning left for less
Turning left for less Turning left for less
  • Home
  • Beginners guide
  • Reviews
    • Hotel reviews
    • Flight reviews
    • Airline Lounge Reviews
    • Travel companies, luggage, travel tech & apps
    • Destination Dining
  • Destinations
    • Barbados
    • Las Vegas
    • Alicante
    • Marbella
    • All other destinations
  • About us
    • Meet the Team
    • Contact us
    • Privacy & Disclosure
      • Join our email list & data protection
    • Youtube and Podcast
  • BOOKING ENQUIRY
Virgib B787 engine troubles dreamliner
  • General

Mini reviews – Virgin Atlantic new food and drink + Electroflytes review

  • 17/01/2019
  • Michele

In this post:

  • Virgin Atlantic mini review
    • Heathrow Clubhouse
    • Onboard
  • Electroflytes

Virgin Atlantic mini review

I have reviewed Virgin Atlantic’s B787 a number of times which you can read here. However, since Virgin have recently taken on celebrity chef, Donal Skehan I thought it would be worth a quick look at their recent changes. The emphasis is on fresh, healthy sustainable food. You can read about the new food in this article.

Heathrow Clubhouse

Virgin Clubhouse heathrow review
Virgin Clubhouse Heathrow

Setting aside the restaurant, the Clubhouse was as good as usual, and I had a couple of particularly good treatments in the spa. It was the first time I had tried the complimentary head massage as I am always slightly concerned I will come out looking like a scarecrow! This was a great treatment performed seated and included some neck and shoulder massage as well. I also had a particularly good espresso martini which I had not tried in the Clubhouse before.

The restaurant menu had changed completely. Often before a flight, I don’t want a full meal but, on this occasion, I had arrived very early for my flight and was looking forward to some lunch. I have to say I found the new menu very disappointing. Previously there had been a huge range of choice with tapas, starters, mains, desserts and bar snacks. I will admit the menu was too large before, but it now seems to have gone the other way. Here is the main menu:

There were also a few bar snacks which I ordered a few of. I thought the portion sizes were a bit silly with the deviled egg consisting of half an egg. I know it’s a snack but that it is a bit ridiculous. There was also afternoon tea which from what I have seen is actually very good. The afternoon tea is by Eric Lanlard, and you can read more about it in this article. Since it would have been a bit tight with my flight to order tea, I stuck with lunch. In the end, I didn’t fancy any of the options, so I went with the deli counter for some salmon and salad which was very good.

selection of bar snacks

Onboard

Onboard there were two new additions to the menu. The first was the low and no alcohol cocktails that I talked about in this article. I decided to take one for the team and order a low alcohol cocktail! Here is the cocktail menu:

I went for the Bold Spritz which contained vermouth, soda and mint. I actually really enjoyed this drink, more than some of the alcoholic cocktails I have had on Virgin. It was well balanced and not too sweet or sharp like I find many of the cocktails. There was a faint hint of alcohol to make you feel like you were having a proper drink, but it was refreshing too.

The food menu was similar to before:

I went for the cauliflower soup to start which was pretty average although the blue cheese was a nice touch. (please excuse the strange hue to the photos – Virgin’s mood lighting was rather fierce!)

I then, of course, had to try one of Donal’s dishes. Being a fan of Asian food, I went for the Vietnamese caramel salmon. The salmon was a little overcooked as is often the case onboard but I really enjoyed the dish anyway. The salmon had a tasty sticky glaze on it, and the noodles were not overcooked or dry which is hard to do in an aircraft oven. The dish has a good kick to it with some fresh sliced chillies and coriander on top.

 

The breakfast was also different from what I have always had on Virgin. I don’t know if this is due to the route as I have only ever flown US routes with them. Gone were the spinach and chives in the scrambled eggs. I was pleased to see you could still select which items you wanted for the cooked breakfast though. The scrambled eggs were still pretty good for plane food. Often you get scrambled eggs, and they are one solid lump or very dry. The eggs were still moist and seemed freshly cooked. I was not a fan of the English muffin which in my opinion wasn’t the greatest idea. I presume it wasn’t toasted which it made it very stodgy and dry. I would have much rather they kept the spinach as that was always one of the highlights of the breakfast for me.

 

Electroflytes

When I spotted an advert for Electroflytes on Instagram, it sounded like a useful product for a frequent flyer. The company were kind enough to offer a free sample to both me and Roving Reporter. We then tried them out on our separate flights to Cape Town via Johannesburg (RR on BA and me on Virgin).

So what is Electroflytes? Electrofyltes claims to help reduce the negative effects of long-haul flying. This includes insomnia, fatigue and nausea. ElectroFlytes is an all-natural liquid electrolyte concentrate, designed for frequent flyers. It is designed to help your body minimise dehydration and boost your immune system even on the longest flights. ElectroFlytes works by providing the body with the right balance of electrolytes. It ensures it ‘manages’ your fluid intake and you remain hydrated, especially during flying. In independent studies, the Electrolytes in ElectroFlytes have been proven to hydrate 74% more than water alone. This is due to Ionic minerals which are highly bio available and lead to a nearly 100% absorption. The Magnesium in ElectroFlytes should help reduce tiredness and fatigue.

The liquid form comes in a transportable bottle and contains no calories, flavourings or sweeteners. It can be taken before, during and after flying by adding a few drops into any drink. Including juice, tea and coffee, turning it into a more effective hydration solution. Despite there being different coloured bottles, they are all the same, and all are flavourless. When added to water in the right concentration you can’t really taste it. It maybe has a hint of a sports drink at most though Roving Reporter noticed it more than me.

It is always hard to tell whether it made a difference or not as there are many variables when flying. I was on a B787, so you tend to feel less dehydrated due to the higher humidity levels on board compared to older aircraft. I did also have one low alcohol drink. Other than those factors I would say I drank the same amount of alcohol overall and the same or slightly less water than I would do on this length of flight.

I did actually feel better than usual after an 11-hour flight and definitely less dehydrated. Especially given I hadn’t been that disciplined about drinking lots of water. Roving Reporter didn’t notice any difference though.

Electroflytes come in a small 25ml bottle that is easy to carry in your liquids bag. I would definitely use it again as anything that makes even the slightest difference in feeling better after a long haul flight has to be worth a go! My only criticism would be that it would also be nice to have some flavoured ones (sugar-free) to make water more interesting to drink!

You can find more information and buy Electroflytes here.

Like this:

Like Loading...
Tweet
Share
Pin
Share
Reddit
WhatsApp
Pocket
Email
Flip
0 Shares
Related Topics
  • virgin atlantic
Michele

Previous Article
  • General

Washing your dirty laundry in public – Oman Air A330 Business Class review Dubai to Paris

  • 13/01/2019
  • Michele
View Post
Next Article
  • General
  • IHG

Kimpton de Witt hotel Amsterdam review

  • 19/01/2019
  • Michele
View Post
6 comments
  1. Nigel says:
    17/01/2019 at 6:31 am

    Electroflytes – at over £500 a litre, Ill stick to Evian, and what does that spell backwards???!!!

  2. Oxonboy says:
    17/01/2019 at 8:05 am

    Ditch the booze to avoid dehydration!

    1. Michele says:
      17/01/2019 at 10:37 am

      I think my way is far more fun ?

  3. JanRundall says:
    17/01/2019 at 2:21 pm

    Please could you find another good tier point run to the USA ? Missed the last one

  4. Paul says:
    23/01/2019 at 1:14 pm

    The bar snacks you had look a lot like the old tapas selection?

    Do you have a full copy of the Lounge menu as others I have spoken to say the menu hasn’t changed too much and hasn’t been reduced? Thanks

    1. Michele says:
      24/01/2019 at 10:31 pm

      I don’t have the full copy. The bar snacks were pretty much the same as my last visit. On my last visit in September they had bar snacks, tapas and more variety of main courses. It is definitely reduced.

Comments are closed.

Subscribe to Turning Left for Less

Subscribe

* indicates required
Choose One Subscription Type

BOOK YOUR DREAM TRIP HERE

Want to book your hotel with extra perks such as upgrades and free breakfast? Need help booking flights? Our experts at Winged Boots can help.

Visit our booking page here

Turning Left For Less on Instagram

turningleftforless

Champagne travel on a Prosecco budget. UK blog on how to travel in luxury for less. Forbes contributor. #avgeek #luxurytravel #miles #luxuryhotel

HOTEL REVIEW Fairmont Windsor Park – Our Honest HOTEL REVIEW

Fairmont Windsor Park – Our Honest Spa Stay Review

Link in bio

#hotelreview #luxurytravel #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #luxuryhotel #fairmont #fairmontwindsorpark #windsor
FLIGHT REVIEW Qatar Airways A350 Q-suite Includin FLIGHT REVIEW

Qatar Airways A350 Q-suite Including Al Mourjan lounge by Mark Hopwood

Link in bio

#flightreview #businessclass #luxurytravel #travelreview #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #instaaviation #avgeek #qatarairways #qatar #almourjanlounge #qsuite
LOUNGE REVIEW Air Canada’s refurbished London H LOUNGE REVIEW

Air Canada’s refurbished London Heathrow T2 Maple Leaf lounge

Link in bio

#businessclass #luxurytravel #travelreview #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #instaaviation #avgeek #loungereview #aircanada #heathrow
HOTEL REVIEW Crowne Plaza Dublin Airport – best HOTEL REVIEW

Crowne Plaza Dublin Airport – best of a bad bunch?

Link in bio

#hotelreview #luxurytravel #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #luxuryhotel #crowneplaza #crowneplazahotel #crowneplazadublinairport #dublin
FLIGHT REVIEW ITA Rome to Dubai – When Business FLIGHT REVIEW

ITA Rome to Dubai – When Business Class Feels More Like First Class – ITA’s A321neo Surprises!

Link in bio

#flightreview #businessclass #luxurytravel #travelreview #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #instaaviation #avgeek #ita #itaairways
FLIGHT REVIEW Virgin Atlantic Business Class From FLIGHT REVIEW

Virgin Atlantic Business Class From London to Atlanta – “I Was Wrong”

Link in bio

#flightreview #businessclass #luxurytravel #travelreview #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #instaaviation #avgeek #virginatlantic #virgin #upperclass
HOTEL REVIEW Le Royal Meridien, Dubai – Genuine HOTEL REVIEW

Le Royal Meridien, Dubai – Genuinely a Hidden Gem (Why do we keep going back?)

Link in bio

#hotelreview #luxurytravel #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #luxuryhotel #leroyalmeridiendubai #leroyalmeridien #dubai #uae
FLIGHT REVIEW ITA Business Class – London City FLIGHT REVIEW

ITA Business Class – London City to Rome – Almost Kicked Off for Taking a Photo!

Link in bio

#flightreview #businessclass #luxurytravel #travelreview #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #instaaviation #avgeek #clubeurope #ita #itaairways #londoncity
HOTEL REVIEW Malmaison Oxford Hotel – A Prison HOTEL REVIEW

Malmaison Oxford Hotel – A Prison That You Won’t Want to Escape From

Link in bio 

#hotelreview #luxurytravel #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #luxuryhotel #malmaison #malmaisonoxford #malmaisonoxfordprisonhotel #oxford
HOTEL REVIEW Hotel du Vin, Birmingham Link in bi HOTEL REVIEW

Hotel du Vin, Birmingham

Link in bio

#hotelreview #luxurytravel #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #luxuryhotel #hotelduvin #hotelduvinbirmingham
FLIGHT REVIEW Gulf Air Business Class Bangkok to FLIGHT REVIEW

Gulf Air Business Class Bangkok to Manchester Via Singapore and Bahrain

Link in bio

#flightreview #businessclass #luxurytravel #travelreview #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #instaaviation #avgeek #gulfair
FLIGHT REVIEW Etihad Business Class – Abu Dhabi FLIGHT REVIEW

Etihad Business Class – Abu Dhabi to London Heathrow After a Cancelled BA Flight

Link in bio

#flightreview #businessclass #luxurytravel #travelreview #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #instaaviation #avgeek #etihad
HOTEL REVIEW Hotel Spinale, Madonna di Campiglio HOTEL REVIEW

Hotel Spinale, Madonna di Campiglio – The Ultimate Ski Retreat?

Link in our bio

#hotelreview #luxurytravel #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #luxuryhotel #hotelspinale #hotelspinalemadonnadicampiglio #madonnadicampiglio #skiresort #skichalet
Checking out the new No 1 lounge at @heathrow_airp Checking out the new No 1 lounge at @heathrow_airport T2. Very impressed with the elegant feel to the lounge. It’s definitely a step up from the older style of No1. I’d go as far to say that it looks better than quite a few airline lounges. All drinks are included apart from champagne and there was a good selection of tasty food as well. Full review coming soon. #airportlounge #heathrowairport #luxurytravel #no1lounge
Hotel Review on the blog - Intercontinental O2, Lo Hotel Review on the blog - Intercontinental O2, London & the Cable Car Experience. 

Link in our bio

#hotelreview #luxurytravel #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #luxuryhotel #london #intercontinental #intercontinentalo2 #ifscloudcablecar
THE 8 BEST EUROPEAN SKI RESORTS by Turning Left fo THE 8 BEST EUROPEAN SKI RESORTS by Turning Left for Less

Take a look at our handpicked favourites in the article in our bio.

#luxurytravel #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #luxuryhotel #skiing #skiresort #skiholiday
New hotel review on the blog - Sofitel Kia Ora Moo New hotel review on the blog - Sofitel Kia Ora Moorea Hotel, French Polynesia

Link in bio 

#hotelreview #luxurytravel #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #luxuryhotel #sofitel #sofitelkiaoramoorea #frenchpolynesia
Flight review on the blog - Thai Airways from Melb Flight review on the blog - Thai Airways from Melbourne to Bangkok – ‘Old School’ but Classy 🇦🇺✈️🇹🇭

Link in bio

#flightreview #businessclass #luxurytravel #travelreview #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #instaaviation #avgeek #thaiairways #thailand
HOTEL REVIEW 🇺🇸 Nautilus Sonesta Miami Beac HOTEL REVIEW 🇺🇸

Nautilus Sonesta Miami Beach – Boutique Charm Meets Art Deco

Link in bio

#hotelreview #luxurytravel #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #luxuryhotel #miamibeach #southbeach #miami #nautilussonesta #boutiquehotel
HOTEL REVIEW 🇵🇫 Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resor HOTEL REVIEW 🇵🇫 

Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa, French Polynesia

Link in bio

#hotelreview #luxurytravel #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #luxuryhotel #frenchpolynesia #hiltonmoorea #hilton #moorea
Follow on Instagram
Categories
Contact us

[email protected]

Unit 143857

PO Box 6945

LONDON

W1A 6US

Privacy Policy

Find out about our privacy policy and advertising disclosure here.

Turning left for less
Champagne travel on a Prosecco budget

Input your search keywords and press Enter.

%d